A Tricky Subject, A Sticky Situation
by blackbird0211
Summary: Cal and Gillian find themselves in a predicament. Eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I own nothing. Started writing this out of the blue. I hope it's not bad for a first fanfiction.

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 **Chapter 1**

 _'No, I mean_ really _love her?'_

 _'Yeah.'_

He'd meant it. Cal Lightman loved Gillian Foster. _Really_ loved her. Of course, the sole proprietors of that knowledge were himself and his daughter Emily and he had no qualms about keeping it that way. He wouldn't run the risk of ruining the best and perhaps truest relationship he'd ever had in his adult life. Gillian was his pure soul. He'd be damned if he were to drag her further into his hellish world; in fact, he'd promised himself long ago that he'd try like hell to keep her away from his world. It hadn't quite...worked, but Cal still fought to keep her pure. He wasn't sure if she thought herself pure, but he still did. Gillian hadn't been soiled by him, not yet. _Not ever_ , he thought.

But now he knew. Well, he supposed he'd always known, but he'd never quite said it aloud and especially never _to_ someone. He knew and he'd voiced it to Emily that he did love her. And so there he was, at work, feet propped up on his desk, hands folded atop his chest. Doing. Absolutely. Nothing. He was lucky it was a slow day. Little cases that Loker and Torres could handle on their own—cheating spouses and the like. Cal had no interest in such cases anyway and was glad that he was his own boss because, no matter how much they wanted to, his lacke- employees couldn't refuse him lest he threaten to fire them. He could hear Gillian in the back of his head saying, 'They aren't your lap dogs, Cal, they're our employees,' with the slightest of grins on her face.

He liked that he could make her smile. Sometimes he tried to, but other times a smile naturally graced her lips when he said something offhanded or quippy. Cal found himself thinking far too much on Gillian's lips, the curves and contours of her body, the clothes she wore—pinks, pastels, bright colors. They made her happy, bright colors. And she looked damn gorgeous in them. And therein laid Cal's problem. He was doing nothing at work because he was having trouble concentrating at work. He'd told Loker and Torres to 'handle the day for a bit' while he handled his own business in his office. He'd handled no business. No, he'd been thinking about Gillian all morning.

And then, there was a knock on his door. Next, a call. His name. It was soft and curious and, while Gillian was the voice expert, he could recognize the voice at the door in any crowd, from behind any door. He loved that voice. And it's owner.

"Yeah, I'm in here, Foster," he called. Gillian entered his office and he wondered how she could both ground him and leave him floating so weightlessly at the same time. She smiled at him and, _God_ , was he floating.

"I was starting to get worried, you know. What is it you always say? It's your name on the door, Dr. Lightman." She smiled again, knowingly, and perhaps a little condescendingly.

"Well, it is my name on the door, Dr. Foster," he said with a hint of a smirk. "What're you worryin' for anyway, love? Troops not 'olding down the fort?" Cal removed his feet from his desk as Gillian made to sit in a chair across from him.

"Eli and Ria are handling their mundane cases just fine, Cal," she said with a slight raise of her brows. Delicate brows, perfectly shaped. His mind was wandering again. He noticed, as his eyes settled on hers, that she was looking at him expectantly. She'd asked him a question. She rolled her eyes, probably thinking he just wasn't paying attention to her. Not entirely incorrect. He wasn't paying attention to her words, but was focused on her...eyebrows. He was certainly in deep.

"Are you okay, Cal?" Gillian dipped her head down slightly to catch his expression. Impossible with him, really. At this point, he was an expert in taming his facial muscles into neutrality. Oddly enough, though, she did see something. She couldn't quite give it a name.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, darlin', I'm good. Everything's good. A bit tired, maybe." He watched her brows pull together for a split second before she relaxed her face again. She'd gotten exceptionally good at the masking-my-expressions-because-my-partner/best friend's-an-expert-face-reader thing.

"Right. Well, then you'll recall that we have a meeting to go to. And if you don't recall, we have a meeting to go to," Gillian said with a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Right, right. O' course I remembered."

She studied him silently for a moment. "Liar." Gillian flashed amusement. "It's time to get going, Cal. Come on." She stood from the chair and looked down at him, her blue eyes twinkling, gauging him.

"D'you want to have dinner later, love? My treat," Cal said evenly despite the steady quickening of his heartbeat. Gillian's face fell a bit then.

"I'd love to, Cal. It's been a while since we had dinner together-"

"But..." he interrupted.

"But I have plans tonight."

Cal thought he might've seen something akin to shame for a fleeting moment, but then it was gone and he couldn't be bothered. Gillian wasn't always easy to read and Cal had a sneaking suspicion that she only _let_ herself be read by him, never on accident.

 _'You know I've always had more trouble readin' you than anyone else.'_

But sometimes, very rarely, he could catch something if he was really looking at her. He braved a bemused grin and raised his eyebrows.

"Hot date, Foster?" Gillian smiled at him again, but it didn't reach her eyes. Cal decided not to question it.

"You don't need to know everything that goes on in my life, Cal. Just know that I have plans," Gillian said coyly. _It's a date_ , Cal thought, a little dismayed. "We can go to dinner another night. Now let's go so we can get this appointment over with." She turned and started out of his office, not waiting for him to be by her side, but figuring he'd catch up in a few seconds. And he did get up, only after he watched her walk away. He couldn't help but watch her walk. It did something to him. Her hips swayed just a bit so as not to suggest constant promiscuity, but it was enough to make any man's eyes keep glued to her backside. And what a wonderful backside it was. Cal was suddenly very hungry.

"So, tell me about this meeting, eh? The details are escapin' me." They were. He remembered the meeting, but he was having trouble finding what interested him enough about the case. In retrospect, that may have been a sign to not take the case. But it was too late, because the client was already waiting in the conference room.

"Memory getting weak on you as the years go by, Cal?" she quipped good-naturedly.

"Oi, don't get cheeky with me, Foster." Cal tried for a mock glare, but couldn't hide the upturn of his mouth and the amusement in his eyes. "Just fill me in a bit, all right?"

Gillian stopped in the hall and turned to face her partner. Cal came to an abrupt halt and waited for a response. He got lost a little, every time she turned to face him unexpectedly. He didn't know if he'd ever be fully prepared to see her delicate features gazing at him with such care, concern, intensity, irritation, whatever it may be. Then again, maybe he didn't ever want to be.

"For this to be a case you're interested in, you don't seem that interested in it," she sighed. "The authorities have reason to believe that Jamie Flynn kidnapped, then killed his wife and son. We need to make sure he's their guy and that there's not a murderer still on the loose. Okay?" Gillian tilted her head to the side, observing Cal.

"Okay. All good. Got it. Let's go, then," he said as he began closing the gap between him and the door to the conference room. "So! The suspect?" he called when he stepped into the room. He saw Flynn's eyes dart up to him immediately, nervous. "Aye, aye. To the Cube, then. Just the killer. Everyone else stays here." At that, Cal turned and exited the room as quickly as he'd entered, grabbing Gillian by the arm and dragging her along to the room across the hall.

Soon thereafter, Flynn was lead to the Cube and sat at the long metal table at the center of the space. Cal let the suspect sit alone in the whited-out Cube for a good ten minutes, wanting to let him steep in his own thoughts for a while. He and Gillian sat outside, watching Mr. Flynn fidget and glance around nervously. They didn't see anger, any kind of contempt, or even guilt on the guy's face and Cal was getting the impression that he was scared shitless. Finally, Cal told Gillian it was time to start the interrogation.

"Questioning," she reminded him lightly.

"Yeah, okay." Cal opened the door to the Cube and stepped inside. "Why so scared, mate?" he prompted brusquely from behind Jamie. The younger glanced briefly back at Cal, but didn't meet his eyes and didn't answer the question. Cal stalked around to face Flynn while Gillian moved to have a seat across from the supposed killer.

"What's your name?" she asked calmly. Gillian usually played good cop. She managed to get baselines and answers that way.

"Jamie Flynn," he muttered while shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"Bit louder, mate. No one likes a mumbler," Cal quipped.

Jamie cleared his throat and repeated his name with more force. Jamie Flynn wasn't an uppity man and was visibly reserved. He was a good-looking guy of 32 years old, a typical "dad" with dark hair and neat beard to match. Didn't look the type to be a killer and he was too obviously anxious to be a psychopath.

"Did you kill your family?" Cal asked suddenly. Jamie met his eyes and flashed fear again. Cal saw the younger man's pupils dilate for a moment, then return to their normal size.

"Yes," Flynn said gruffly.

"Are you sure, mate? 'Cause you'll go to prison. For a long, long time." Cal dipped down to see Jamie's face better as the man was keeping his head angled down and away from the deception experts, like he was hiding something. "Who are you protecting? Eh?" Fear again, but coupled with anger. "Oh, now that's interestin'. Did I strike a nerve, Flynn? If you didn't kill your family, then wha's the big deal? If you did, then you should be mostly rage, contempt for us, and maybe, _maybe_ a little anxiety over bein' caught. So, what's the hang up? Did you kill your family, Jamie?" Cal asked again, slowly and more aggressively than the first time.

"Yes," said Jamie with more conviction, but Cal watched his pupils enlarge and then go smaller once again. His eyelashes fluttered.

"Thank you for wastin' our time, Mr. Flynn. We'll go tell the authorities what we've found," he gestured to Gillian to follow him out. She complied. They stood outside watching the video feed for a few more minutes, Cal hoping that Flynn would cave and call them back in, before Gillian turned to Cal.

"You don't think he did it, do you?"

Cal shook his head. "Nah. The man's scared outta his mind. No way he's a killer and he's definitely no psychopath. But he is hidin' something. Dunno what, though, and if he doesn't tell us then we can't help him," he finished with a shrug. The pair watched Flynn shift uncomfortably for a little while longer before returning to the officers in the conference room.

The detectives stood stiffly when Cal entered the room and waited silently for their findings.

"He's not your guy," Cal said with certain finality. He was met with bewildered expressions and disbelieving replies until he convinced them to (begrudgingly) leave the building with their not-so-murderous-murderer off the hook. Jamie Flynn had offered no more words as he was taken out of the building; therefore, the Lightman Group could help no further until another lead was brought to them by the detectives. Flynn would give in, Cal was sure of it. And the office was met with peace once again. It didn't last long.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks so much for reviews! I love seeing readers' thoughts, so keep 'em coming. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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 **Chapter 2**

Just as Cal and Gillian were exiting the conference room after a short conversation about what just happened, they were faced with Jack Rader, who was smiling jovially at Anna. Cal came to a stop a distance away from the front desk, a blend of contempt, anger, and resentment beginning to wash over him.

"What's he doin' here?" Cal asked indignantly, doing little to keep his rage from boiling over into his expression, his body language, his tone of voice. There were few things that made Cal so unguardedly angry. Jack Rader was one of them. When Cal was in Mexico, it was easier to ignore Rader because they were nowhere near each other. But now they were mere meters away from one another and Cal was not a happy camper.

Cal tried again for an answer, "What's Rader doin' in my office?" he asked no one in particular, but anyone in near enough proximity to hear the question. And then Cal's stomach dropped. Rader had locked on to his intended target and was smiling disgustingly charmingly at his partner, his Gillian. No wonder she'd been silent—she knew why Jack was there.

Gillian returned Rader's smile, but she looked a bit anxious and Cal wondered if perhaps she was being pressured into…whatever was going on.

"Jack," she said curtly, her blue eyes flashing something that said, 'Why are you here?' without her having to ask aloud. "I thought we weren't meeting until later." Jack leaned in to peck Gillian's cheek and the latter met him halfway, mirroring his greeting. For a moment, Cal thought that maybe the two did just have a meeting; maybe Jack wanted Gillian's opinion on a case, which would still cut deep, but at least his heart might've stopped hammering so hard against his chest. But no, that would be too good to be true.

"You're just so gorgeous, I couldn't wait all day," Jack said with his poster-boy smile. "And I needed to let you know that I changed the place to Luigi's. That okay or am I jumping the gun a little?"

 _Most definitely a date_ , thought Cal. _With Rader? Why with_ him _, Gill?_

Gillian was doing her level best to keep a neutral mask, but it appeared that Jack was making it hard for her. "I think we should talk somewhere else, Ja-" She didn't get to finish her sentence.

"Jacky," Cal mocked. "How've you been, mate? Didn't catch you last time you were here workin' on that tainted blood case with my partner." He oozed condescension. "What're you doin' here now, eh?" Cal already knew the answer. But clarification never hurt anyone.

"Oh, I'm just checking in on Gill before our date," he lingered on the word, "later this evening," he said while ignoring the anger mixed with bewilderment on Gillian's face. Because, in all honesty, it was nice to beat Cal. It was better than nice. Jack had Gillian and Cal didn't and they both knew how hard a blow that was. Really, if Cal wanted Gillian, he should've taken her a long time ago. He'd had ample time and ample opportunity since her divorce. Now, there he was, watching the woman he loved slip through his fingers and into the hands of his old mentee-turned-rival. It made him nauseous.

"You do know what a telephone is, dontcha? I mean, if you don't then maybe look it up and invest in one. Handy devices, they are. Good for keepin' in touch and checkin' in. Foster actually has one, believe it or not." Cal turned his head to see Gillian staring back at him with a warning expression. "Right, Gill?" Gillian opened her mouth to reply, but Jack beat her to it.

"Your wit never fails, Cal, really. It's a gift. It was always a real hit with women, right?" Rader didn't say it, but his tone certainly implied it. _It was always a real hit with women…but not enough to get you Gillian._

"You never complained when my wit was your way of gettin' laid, Jack. Me, I was married to Zoe, but I decided 'why not help this bloke out? Be his wingman?' y'know? Isn't that right?" Cal was inching forward, trying to get in Jack's face to further push the confrontation.

"Guess what, Cal…you're not the one with the date tonight."

By this point, it seemed that most of the office was gathered around the three of them. It was a free show. A couple of boys having a pissing contest over a girl. It was ridiculous. Cal was in his forties and Jack nearing his, but the two still acted like petulant children around each other. Gillian saw Ria come out of the break room and the elder shot her a pleading look. Thankfully, Ria was quick to aid and she rushed over to grab Cal by the arm. Not before checking out his expression, of course, because, wow, was he angry. And was that jealousy?

"Dr. Lightman, there's something Loker and I want your opinion on," Ria rushed as she pulled her boss along to the Cube. She let him go once they were inside and his arms extended out to his sides, asking 'What was that?' Ria could only shrug; she acted on impulse to help Foster. Cal glared at his subordinate before turning around and heading toward the door. As he was reaching for the handle, though, he was met with Gillian staring him down, quite miffed, from the other side of the glass. She opened the door without giving Cal much time to get away from it, so she was right on him when she got inside.

"Give us the room," Gillian commanded without taking her eyes off Cal. Their employees all but ran away, except Torres. Torres kind of _meandered_ out of the room, probably trying to get a glimpse of the fight that was about to occur.

"Now, c'mon, Gill. No need for tha-"

"What was that, Cal? Why do you find it necessary to become a 14-year-old where Jack is concerned? I thought that maybe you two had moved beyond that, but clearly I was wrong."

"What was that? Oh, do me a favor, Foster. You bloody well know what that was about. You know me and Jack haven't gotten along in ages. And then he shows up 'ere? In my office?"

" _Our_ office."

"Yeah. Right." Cal nodded. "Well, he shows up at our office and rubs it in my face that he _can_ be here because he has a, what? A relationship?" Cal searched her face for some kind of reaction. There wasn't much there aside from anger. "With you?"

"It's none of your concern who I decide to have a relationship with or who I go out on dates with, Cal. You do not need to know every detail about my life. And you certainly don't need to go making scenes in the middle of the office in front of all our staff." Gillian was seething. She'd always had a thing about professionalism.

"Why _him_ , Gill? I mean…you could just do so much better, y'know? It's Rader, Gillian. It's not like he's a knight in shining armor or some bollox like that. He's a slime ball, at best. Set your sights a bit higher, I mean, you're worth more than a Jack Rader, love." While Cal's voice wasn't very sharp, he could see that he hit Gillian hard with his words. She had awful taste in men, he knew, but he realized afterward that he should've kept his mouth shut. When next she spoke, Gillian's tone was like steel.

"I will go out with who I please, Cal Lightman, and you will not interfere or _tell me_ otherwise. You may have the better part of a decade with me, but you have _no right_ to that part of my life. We're adults, Cal. Act like one." With that, Gillian whirled right around and left Cal standing alone in the room. He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stood in place until he was sure Gillian would be in her office. He didn't think she would confront him a second time, but he wanted to be safe.

When Cal emerged from the Cube, Jack Rader was long gone, but that was little comfort. He was still bothered about the other man being at the office in the first place. As if he'd had no other means of communicating with Gillian than by personal visit. Now Cal had gone and made Gillian mad, which was neither good for business or their friendship. He skulked back to his office to waste the rest of the day away. Cal was in no mood for more work. He had thinking about Gillian to do.

Cal's thinking was interrupted, however, when Emily stopped by about an hour later with Chinese take-out for lunch. She walked in on Cal lying on his couch and gazing up at the ceiling. Emily approached carefully, as if afraid that her father was going to jump scare her because she wouldn't put that past him.

"Dad?" She asked tentatively. "What's up?"

"The sky." Cal pulled himself upright and peered up at his daughter. "What's up with you, darlin'?"

Emily shook her head, "Nothin', just…bringing you lunch, Dad. Is everything okay? You look," she paused, trying to come up with the right word, "distracted," she settled.

"Distracted? Oh, I'm always distracted, love. What's for lunch, then? Looks like Chinese, smells like Chinese." He stood and grabbed the brown paper bags from Em, then walked them over to his desk to set them down and start digging in. Emily joined him, taking a seat across from him at the desk.

"I talked to Ria, you know," Emily began after a few minutes of eating in relative silence. "She had some interesting things to say. After I prodded them out of her, of course."

"Yeah? What did Torres have to say to you, Em? Something about me?"

"You and Gillian," she said through a bite of General Tso's chicken. "She said you got all angry and jealous, then you two had a fight in the Cube."

"We," Cal began defensively, "did not _fight_ , we had a heated discussion. It wasn't even that heated. And we weren't _in_ the Cube, we were outside it. Y'know, with the desks and such." Cal shoved a mouthful of fried rice into his mouth partially in hopes that Emily would be quiet for a few moments. No such luck. Emily waited until she was sure her father could speak again without projectile shooting rice at her.

"Well, whatever happened, Dad, Gillian's pissed. Don't be a tosser."

"Oi, where'd you get that mouth from?"

"You, remember?" Emily smirked.

 _'You get that mouth from me, girl. Don't you forget it.'_

"Oh, that's right. I had a head injury when I said that, so I can't be held accountable for anything you say." He took a bite of an egg roll.

Emily rolled her eyes and pressed on. "Anyway, you better fix whatever it is you did."

"Why's it always my fault?" Cal swallowed. "I mean, I think I had good reason to be utterly irrational."

"Dad…come on. It's you." Cal gave her an incredulous expression, throwing a hand up in the air for extra effect. "Look, we both know that Gillian is possibly the most patient person in the world when it comes to you. She's willingly been your business partner and friend for almost ten years, right? That's gotta count for something. And you love her. So, you need to fix it."

"You're never gonna let that little couch confessional go, are ya, Em?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "And you're not either. You know I'm right." Emily got up from her chair, popping another piece of chicken into her mouth. "Okay. I gotta go. Seeya later, Dad."

"Drive safe, Em." Cal stood up as his daughter turned around with an 'mhm' and walked out of his office. He was trying to do better with the I-need-to-know-where-you-are-at-all-times attitude. He'd say he was doing pretty well. Em had just said she had to go, didn't say where, and Cal refrained from asking her where she had to be going to. His daughter was perceptive and beyond her years. It was aggravating.

After Emily's visit, the rest of the day went by uneventfully. Jamie Flynn didn't return to the Lightman Group. Cal was still holding out on the hypothesis that he would give up whatever information he had. Maybe the next day.

Near the end of the work day, Cal sat in the lobby. He decided that he might as well listen to Emily and try to talk with Gillian, because the make-up conversation was bound to happen eventually. Why not sooner than later? Gillian sure took her sweet time, though. _Does she always work overtime now?_ Cal pondered.

"Gill!" He hopped off the couch and practically bounded toward a startled Foster.

"God…Cal, I didn't see you there."

"Are we okay?"

"Cal, I'm going to be late for-"

"Yeah, I know, your date with Rader. You're deflecting. Look, Gill, just tell me we're okay." He stood firmly in front of her, both to be able to see her face and to keep her from walking away from him. The second thing didn't always work, but he tried.

"Cal, I really have to go. We'll talk about this another time." Gillian stepped around Cal and continued on her path to the exit. Cal followed, not ready to give up the conversation. He could sense that Gillian was still tense—didn't need to be a face reader to tell that. But she didn't stop him from walking with her to the parking lot. It wasn't the most comfortable silence they'd ever shared, but it was dark and Gillian felt better walking to her car with Cal.

"I just don't understand it, Gillian," Cal started unexpectedly. "Maybe…if you explained it, in layman's terms, o' course, then I'll get it." _Not bloody likely_ , Cal mused. "I just think Jack's a snake. Last time he was here, right, he tried to _steal_ our Loker."

"I am not having this conversation with you right no-" Gillian's words fell short. She registered the feel of cold metal pressing into her neck. She saw Cal's eyes go wide in the dim light of the lot. Gillian was stark still, shock and fear and anger setting in, because how could they both have been so careless? The man behind her was hooded and kept his head angled downward, using Gillian as cover, so Cal was at a disadvantage. The barrel of the gun dug deeper into Gillian's neck as its owner spoke his first words.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm loving the reviews, they make me happy! Interesting things to come soon.

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 **Chapter 3**

"Y'all both gon' come with me." His voice was muffled. He was wearing a mask. Gillian could tell that he was a younger man. "You heard me?" He asked urgently. "Y'all both come with me or the lady gets shot. You the lie people, you tell me if I'm tellin' the truth."

Cal couldn't see the guy's face, but he didn't need to. He heard the threat in his voice and saw the intent in his body language. Cal raised his hands in surrender. "Okay. I believe you." He caught Gillian's eyes flitting over to him; they were panic-ridden. Cal wanted nothing more than to tell Gill that everything would be all right. He glanced around quickly and realized that they might be out of the cameras' sight lines, but hopefully Loker and Torres would get something out of the footage.

They were taken across the street, Mr. Big Shot keeping his gun trained on Gillian through his jacket while they walked. Mystery Man stopped them, though, and promptly covered their heads with muslin sacks before leading them a few more steps and taking a sharp left turn down an alley. There was a van waiting for the trio. Gillian's purse was taken from her, her coat was searched, and she was shoved into the vehicle, then it was Cal's turn.

"Oi, oi. Feelin' a bit fresh, are ya? At least take me to dinner first, mate," Cal said sardonically. It earned him sucker punch to the gut. He doubled over, an audible 'oof' slipping past his lips as his air left him.

"Cal? Cal, where are you?" Cal could hear the panic mixed with concern in Gillian's voice. The thug took Cal's keys, phone, and wallet before shoving him into the van with Gillian. Cal felt around in the dark for his best friend.

"I'm here, Gill, I'm right here." He felt his hand brush against her hair and he pulled her close to his chest. "I'm okay, love." Cal's tone was gentle and reassuring. Gillian had to have faith in something right now and he preferred that it be him. It wasn't heroics, he just needed her to be calm because they had an abduction to solve. "He just decked me in the gut, I've had worse, right?"

Gillian didn't say anything, she just held on to Cal, the anger from earlier having melted away into fear and a need to be comforted. They stayed like that a while, in each other's arms, Cal whispering reassurances in her ear. He knew she must've felt vulnerable, considering past events and her unlucky streak of being attacked during cases.

It felt like hours passed before they reached their destination. Cal felt the van lurch forward as it came to a rough stop. Probably deliberate. The rear doors opened and Cal and Gillian were both pulled out of the back. Cal realized that the perpetrator must have a partner because he heard a second door at the front close. Cal was being pushed along to wherever it was they were going.

"Be gentle, would ya, lads? Delicate merchandise your handlin' here." He wished he could see Gillian's face, see if that got him a quirk of her lips or a look of warning. Their captors didn't try to be any more careful. In fact, Cal thought that they started shoving them harder.

Regardless, they were only a few paces away from their destination. The muslin was removed and Cal's eyes were brutally assaulted by the lights of the…it looked like an old shelter. He glanced to his left and saw Gillian looking at him. She appeared calm and collected, but Cal imagined that she wasn't so well-put-together on the inside. Next was a quick surveying of the space, of the faces. No more masks.

"So, you two are a real coupla cowards, then? No worries about hiding your faces here, right? No one knows about this place, I bet." Cal was met with silence, but could see that he was working them up. "Right, well, what d'you want us for? Most people don't go 'round abductin' others just for the hell of it, eh?" Cal felt the cold barrel of a gun press to his temple.

"Did someone say you could talk, gringo?"

"Cal!" Gillian tried to rush forward, but she was pulled back rather aggressively by the man behind her. Cal could see them in his peripheral vision.

"Stay still, bitch!" The man twisted Gillian's are painfully behind her back and she let out a short yelp. The bastard got a kick out of that. Cal's chest tightened and his fists clenched on their own will. Gillian's guard was quicker than Cal and he was able to spin her around, raise his hand, before Cal could talk himself out of gunpoint. But then he went into overdrive.

"Oi, oi, oi!" All eyes in the room focused on him, but Cal's cold eyes were trained on the guy gripping Gillian's arm. "You don't touch her," he practically growled. Cal was fuming. He turned his gaze back to the guy holding the gun to his head. "You want a punchin' bag? Okay. That's me, not her. Whatever it is you want, you get nothin' if anyone lays a hand on her." Cal pointed his index finger at Gillian. The man in front of him smiled wickedly.

"I get it. Yeah, man. It's about her, right? What is she? She your bitch? Tell the truth, guero." Cal heard the click of the hammer next to his head. "I asked you a question." Cal saw Gillian fighting against her urge to cry, to call out for him. _Good girl._

"Fine, fine. All right, yeah." Gillian's eyebrows shot up. "I mean, no, she's not my, y'know, bitch. But, yeah, it's about her." He tried to lean away from the gun, but it followed him wherever he went. "It's always about her. That's the truth. She gets hurt, you get no more truths from me. So, you just keep on me and keep your goon away from her if you want your answers, mate. Understood?" Relief rushed through Cal when the gun was pulled away from his head.

"A'ight, man. I can do that. As long as you ain't lie to us or some stupid-ass bullshit like that, we good. Your lady friend'll be a'ight. She's fine for an older lady," he said while oogling Gillian. Cal felt a pang of anger rise in his chest again. "How'd a little dude like you get her?"

Cal shrugged. "Blindin' wit and a bit of beggin'. Works like a charm, that does."

Still smiling, he shouted, "Chino! Take 'em to their rooms."

"Oi, another thing. Me and her," he nodded toward Gillian, a little worried that he might be pushing it, "we stay together or you get nothin'. That's non-negotiable, that is." The ring leader scowled, but eventually nodded.

"Okay, whatever. Chino," he said with another nod. "Go."

Cal was thrust over to the one called Chino and the partners were taken to a small room with two single beds. It could've been worse. Chino glared at both of them before turning to leave, closing the door behind him. Cal moved to Gillian immediately, brushing a hand over her arm.

"You okay, darlin'?" His hazel eyes were soft and searching now. "You hurt?"

Gillian shook her head. Her eyes were still gleaming with unshed tears and Cal thought she looked so much like she did when that maniac Eric Matheson was holding a gun to his head in front of her.

 _'Let him go…_ Please. _'_

Gillian had begged for his life. She was always afraid that Cal would make one misstep and not make it out alive someday. "I'm fine, Cal." She slid her coat off to get a better look at her arm.

Cal grabbed the jacket and tossed it onto a bed. His eyes shot to the hand print the jackass had left on her arm and he pulled her into a hug. Gillian wrapped her arms around Cal's torso and burrowed her head into the crook of his neck. He thought that she fit perfectly there.

"Wanna dance, love?" He asked quietly.

"There's no music." Her breath tickled his neck and sent a shock through his body.

"Don't need any." Cal slid his hands down to Gillian's waist and began swaying to a silent rhythm. He even started humming to lighten the mood as he thought she might get a kick out of it. Gillian could feel the vibration of his chest and it did wonders to anchor her as she moved her arms to wrap around his neck.

"What's that?"

"It's called 'I Will' by The Beatles. You know it?" He felt her shake her head.

"How does it go?"

"You want me to sing it?" Cal pulled back so he could see Gillian's face. She was still shaken up, but she was edging on playful. He hadn't expected her to ask him to sing the damn song.

"Getting shy on me, Lightman?" There was a definite challenge in her blue eyes and Cal had a difficult time refusing a good challenge.

"Me? Never." Cal brought her back to him, trying to remember the lyrics. "Okay, here goes. Don't boo me, all right?"

"I'll try not to," Gillian murmured with a soft smile on her face.

"Who knows how long I've loved you, you know I love you still," Cal spoke-sang, but it was enough to further calm Gillian's raging concoction of emotions. "I can't hit the high bits like McCartney."

"Shh. Keep going."

Cal half-rolled his eyes and pushed through. "Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will," he held out the note for a couple of seconds, signaling the end of his performance.

"Not half bad, Lightman."

"Yeah, well, I don't remember any more of the lyrics so you're outta luck, Gill." Cal debated pulling away from her again, because it was such a tender moment in the midst of chaos.

He longed for moments like these; where he could toss his sarcastic, cynical personality to the side and just hold her under the guise of 'protector.' Really, they comforted each other. He could always be the witty, "infallible" Dr. Cal Lightman. But there were times when Gillian just needed him to be Cal, and there were times when he was happy to comply.

Eventually, Cal did have to pull back. He and Gillian had to figure out why they were taken and how they were going to get out of the situation or, at least, figure out _who_ took them.

"You okay, darlin'?" Cal ghosted his palms up and down the length of Gillian's arms. "We through bein' saps for the night?"

Gillian straightened her posture and moved her hands to rest on Cal's chest. "I'm okay, Cal. Thank you."

"For the show? Any time, Foster. Don't hold me to that." He tucked her hair behind her ear and spoke cautiously. "We need to get ourselves outta this, love. Looks like they don't want much with us tonight."

"They're very hostile, Cal. This whole thing could just be a ticking time bomb."

"Don't think like that, Gill. Not yet, anyway. Did they take all your things?"

Gillian nodded and sat down on the bed behind her. "Everything was in my purse. What do you think they want, Cal? They were obviously staking out the office, just waiting for us to come out. And they were there long enough to check out the cameras, right?"

"Yeah. We were in a dark spot," he said quietly. Gillian could almost see the gears turning in Cal's head. Realistically, there wasn't much that could be done until they knew why they were there. "D'you think this has something to do with Flynn? I mean, he goes home and we get taken. Coincidence?"

"But Cal, Jamie Flynn isn't a killer. We agreed on that. He may be hiding something, but he's afraid-"

"Maybe it's these guys he's afraid of, Gill. I'm not goin' back on my genius deduction," he teased as he sat down beside Gillian. "Flynn didn't kill his family. But these people have the means to abduct and kill." Cal gestured broadly to the room. The thugs had an abandoned piece of property that sounded like it was in the middle of nowhere based on the absence of traffic noise, an abduction vehicle, guns, and God knew what else. "They need us for something, or else they wouldn't 'ave given us what I asked for, and we can use that."

Cal noticed that Gillian was beginning to physically sag. She was exhausted. What with having to deal with his behavior earlier and then being kidnapped, Cal could tell she was spent. There was no use in making her stay up when they didn't have a lot to work with.

"It's bedtime, love. Hop to it." Cal gave Gillian a stern look when he saw her open her mouth to protest. "Go to sleep, Gillian. Or I'm tellin' mum." He smirked mirthfully as she pushed at his shoulder.

"Fine, fine. You'll have to move first, Cal."

"Aw, you mean I can't sleep with you, Gill? Then what was the point of keepin' us together?"

"You're a pain in the ass, Cal Lightman."

"Aye, aye. Don't wear it out," he said as he stood from Gillian's bed. He strode over to the light switch and flipped off the lights, leaving him to find his bed in the dark. Cal shrugged off his jacket and dropped it onto the floor, then climbed into the second twin bed at the wall parallel to Gillian's side of the room.

"Goodnight, Cal," Gillian called softly.

"G'night, love."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I know it's been a while! I apologize. The end of summer vacation was a little hectic, then school started back up. Lack of time and inspiration hindered me from working on this story, but classes have been canceled until Tuesday due to Hurricane Irma and I decided to write. Shorter chapter, but I hope it's enjoyable! I don't intend to abandon this story, but there will probably be some gaps between updates so just bear with me while I get through the semester. By the way, the name "Jaime" is pronounced "high-me," just a heads up.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Cal had only allowed himself about an hour of sleep before he was being oh-so-rudely pulled out of bed. He assumed it was morning, but he wasn't sure as the windows were all boarded up. He was disoriented for a moment before he remembered where he was. Cal glanced to his right and saw that Gillian was being treated with a bit more kindness than he was.

"Rise and shine, gringo," said the one named Chino. He wore a menacing grin on his face that he no doubt thought was intimidating.

"Mornin', Chino. Can I call you Chino? Or do only your friends get to call you that?" Cal was pushed back onto the bed and Chino tossed a protein bar and a bottle of water at him. "Oh, wonderful. En suite service. I'll be sure to mention the friendly staff in the review."

Chino moved in on Cal and grabbed the elder's arm in a vice grip, pulling him up and twisting his arm behind his back. Cal clenched his jaw and bit down on his tongue to keep from making any noise.

"You ever shut the fuck up, man? I would if I were you, white guy," Chino sneered.

Cal nodded once, catching Gillian's expression from the corner of his eye. "Point taken, mate. You have quite a temper on you, eh?" His remark earned him a further twisting of his arm and he couldn't help but grimace at the pain. "Okay, okay, I got it. Could you lemme go now?"

"Chino, let him go. J wants to talk to 'em, so we gotta be quick," said the thug at Gillian's bedside.

"A'ight, fine, E." Chino let Cal go and let him sit back down on the bed as he stretched his arm and rolled his shoulders.

Cal tore open the protein bar and look back at Gillian, who was now sitting on the edge of her bed. Cal suppressed a smirk at the sight of a just-out-of-bed Gill. Now wasn't the time. "Cheers, Gill."

Gillian rolled her eyes as she opened up her own breakfast that the man in charge gave her. They hadn't gotten a full name, but Chino just called him "E," which wasn't much, but it was something.

"Hurry up. Our jefe is here and he wants to talk to y'all. And y'all gon' help him unless you wanna eat a bullet."

"Jefe. Your boss is here? You aren't the one in charge, then?" Cal asked.

"Shut up and eat your meal."

Cal only grunted his assent as he continued to eat the dry, crumbly protein bar, but he shot Gillian a meaningful glance.

* * *

Back at the office, Ria exited Foster's quarters and bumped into Eli. A file he was holding fell to the floor, its contents scattering. She heard him curse under his breath and Eli began putting his file back together. Ria crouched down to help him.

"Sorry, Loker," she apologized as they both stood back up. "Hey, have you seen Foster today? She's usually in by now."

"I was just on my way to see her, actually. Lightman's not here, either. What's up with that?" Eli's brows furrowed together in thought. "I can understand Lightman showing up late, but not Foster."

"Unless something's wrong," Ria said, her voice laced with concern. "Have you tried calling either of them?"

"Nope," said Eli with a shake of his head. Ria sighed and pulled her phone out of her jean pocket. She found Foster in her contacts and pressed down on her name. She put the phone on speaker so both she and Loker could hear the other end of the line. The colleagues flashed each other equally perplexed expressions when the phone rang once, then cut to voicemail.

"That's weird. I guess we should try Lightman?" Ria asked.

"What're the odds they hooked up and are skipping out on work today to be all…" Eli shuddered at his silent thought, but then waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Torres. "Wanna place bets?"

"Loker," said Ria with an eyeroll. But she wouldn't place a bet _against_ her bosses getting together. "I'm gonna try Lightman and if he doesn't answer to explain or deflect then we worry." She tapped Cal's contact and put her phone on speaker again. Now, Ria and Eli exchanged concerned glances as they heard Lightman's recorded voicemail come through the line.

"Okay, so maybe we should worry a little, but-" Eli tried to begin a rationalization but Ria was already off to the lab to gather and examine last night's video footage. He followed after her, knowing that she wouldn't stop worrying until their bosses answered their phones. Although Eli wasn't fully convinced that Lightman and Foster were in danger, he did have a nagging feeling in the back of his head. Oddly enough, the feeling reminded him very much of Dr. Foster.

As Eli was about to open the door to the lab, he heard a familiar voice call his name. He turned around to meet Jack Rader's charming smile. Something was off about the guy, though.

"Jack Rader. What can I do for you?" Eli asked, taking a few strides over to the older man.

"Is, uh, is Gillian around?" he said, seeming much less confident than usual.

Eli quirked a brow and shook his head. "No, we tried her cell and she didn't pick up. Went straight to voicemail. Lightman's not here either."

Jack's face perked up, alert at the mention of the missing business partners. "Really? Gillian skipped out on dinner last night and I tried her cell too."

"So, you came to interrogate her about why she stood you up and has been ignoring you?" asked Eli with raised brows.

"No, I came here to make sure she was okay. I thought we-" he cut himself off. "Not important. We should figure out where Gillian and Lightman are."

"Right. Torres is in the lab now looking at last night's security camera footage," Eli explained with a backward jab of his thumb. He turned on his heels and reached for the door. Rader walked into the lab, muttering a quick "thanks" to Eli, who never intended to hold the door for the elder.

Ria glanced at Rader briefly before frowning, displeasure clear on her visage.

"Don't you have your own practice somewhere, Rader?" she asked scathingly. Ria was not a fan of Jack Rader. She wholeheartedly agreed with Cal—a rare occasion—about the guy; he was an attention-whore.

"Hmm, nice to see you as well, Miss Torres. Eli says we have a case of missing bosses here at the Lightman Group? You look concerned. Did you find anything on the security tape?"

Ria refrained from rolling her eyes as Rader began to commandeer their lab. _We?_ she thought. Admittedly, they might have benefitted from the extra set of eyes, but Ria would never say so aloud. Call it loyalty mixed with a shot of animosity. She sighed and turned her attention back to the screen in front of her.

"It looks like there could be some movement here," she said as she pointed to the left of the screen. "But it's dark and grainy. I can't tell if it's Lightman and Foster."

Rader thought for a moment before Loker and Torres could physically see the lightbulb come on in his head. "Check the tapes from inside the building and see if they were the last ones here last night. It was late and you guys aren't working on any big cases, so I would assume Gill and Lightman were the only people here."

Eli was already set to work on pulling up yesterday's footage from inside the building. He fast-forwarded through the day, keeping track of employees exiting the building until the video showed Cal and Gillian in the lobby.

"Keep going to make sure they were the last ones out," Ria told Eli. He nodded and continued on until this morning.

"Yep, they were the only ones here last night," Eli murmured while pulling up the exterior video and checking the time. "The times match up, so that's gotta be them in the parking lot. Abduction?"

Rader nodded. "The guy must've been waiting them out and he must've had a weapon to get those two to comply. Damn. Can we brighten and sharpen the footage to get a better image?"

"Yeah," said Torres. " _We_ will get right on that. Why don't you go anywhere but here."

Jack quirked an eyebrow, but heeded to Torres' words and turned to exit the lab when a blur rushed by him.

"Where's my dad?" asked what Rader made out to be a person— _Lightman's daughter._ He watched as Loker and Torres exchanged nervous glances then turned back to Emily Lightman, gears turning in their heads on how to explain the situation. With her hands on her hips and an expectant expression on her face, Jack thought that Emily had a striking resemblance to Zoe. Figuring it best to leave then, he continued on his exit path. Jack heard Emily's raised voice as the door to the lab closed.

"They've been what?!"

* * *

Thing One and Chino guided Cal and Gillian to a bedroom-turned-office in a closed off section of the building, passing by more goons of this gang. They were extra careful not to lay any hands on Gillian, for which Cal was grateful. But he wasn't sure what to expect of the ring leader of this circus. Chino pushed open the door and stepped inside before the human lie detectors. The man at the desk looked up from his phone and smiled at his guests. He had a friendly, charming façade and wasn't a bad-looking guy. He must've been about 30 years old. Something about him struck Cal as familiar, but he couldn't place it; perhaps it was something in the eyes.

"Dr. Lightman, Dr. Foster. Let's get straight to the point. I need your help getting some truths out of my brother. See, he's been lyin' to me so long that I can never tell the lies from the truths. I'm sure my boys have explained why you're gonna help me out here."

"Yeah. We have to cooperate unless we want to, uh, eat a bullet, I believe," Cal said sardonically. Chino advanced on Cal, but the head honcho held a hand up to stop him.

"Chino, dejalo. Leave him alone for now."

"So, you want our help to figure out your brother's lies to, what? Kill 'im? Is that it?"

"It depends on the lies," he said calmly. "I'm being rude. You can call me Jaime. And if I remember right, you both have met my brother before. He thought he was clever, but we've always tried to one-up each other. Follow me," Jaime commanded as he stood from his chair and stalked over to a door that led to another room. Inside, Cal and Gillian glanced at each other in surprise and confusion. Gagged with a rag and wrists tied behind a chair, there sat Jamie Flynn in the center of the empty room. Cal put two and two together; Jaime Flynn was Jaime's brother and they were all in for a helluva ride.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** The fifth chapter has arrived! Please enjoy and don't hesitate to leave a review as I love receiving them! Forewarning: there's some Spanish in this chapter because some things are just better said in Spanish, but they are simple phrases and easy look-ups. Mostly it's just angry Spanish. I also went back and edited some previous chapters for some mistakes I saw, nothing about the plot or anything.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Cal and Gillian's masks flew back up in the next instant, not wanting Jaime and his "boys" to read anything off them.

"We have met before, yes. Jamie Flynn, huh? I take it that's not your real name and that," Cal gestured to Flynn's face, "well, that's not real either, is it?"

Flynn sat stock still, adrenaline, fear, and swelling hiding any other response he might have had to Cal's question.

"What did you do to him?" Gillian asked. "How do you expect us to do our jobs if he doesn't have full use of his facial muscles?"

Jaime shrugged his shoulders, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "He was being uncooperative."

"Right, so the solution is to beat him into submission," Gillian huffed, clearly irritated.

"What, you can't help us?" E's hand reached around to his back, but his boss placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Ernesto," Jaime muttered in warning. "Don't jump to conclusions, guey. I need their help."

"We can still do what we do, we'll just 'ave to rely on the voice and the body language more than just the face. But, oi, next time don't beat the bloke till he can't see out 'is eyes. Take the gag out, will ya?" Cal glanced back at the three men. Jaime nodded toward his brother and Chino stepped forward to take the rag out of their third captive's mouth. Well, technically their first captive.

Jamie spit, his saliva landing a few inches from his brother's feet. "Sabe como mierda, Jaime," he growled.

"Pues, me vale madres, hermano."

"Si como no, cabron. Chingada madre," Flynn mumbled.

Cal watched the exchange with intrigue. "Well, you two are quite angry with each other. Is it my turn to talk now? Or are you gonna keep this pissing contest goin'? 'Cause I can wait. It's kinda like a show, really. Like a soap opera."

"Of course, Dr. Lightman. You can get to work. Chino, Ernesto, grab some chairs for our guests."

The lackeys followed orders well. They left the room and promptly returned, each with a chair for Cal and Gillian. The partners sat down and an idea popped into Gillian's head.

"Do you have a way to record this, um, interview? It would help to analyze his voice if we could listen to it more than once." She turned in her chair to face the men behind them. "If you want more accurate answers from us, I'd like to have a recording device. A phone, a laptop, something?"

"Ernesto, give her one of the phones you took," Jaime ordered.

"You sure?"

"Yes. Go."

Ernesto nodded, pulled a phone from his jean pocket, and handed it to Gillian. She recognized it as Cal's iPhone. She clicked the power button and saw the many missed calls and messages from Emily, a call from Ria. That was good, Ria and Eli must have been working on this. Gillian unlocked Cal's phone and made the decision to call the office under the pretense of searching for a recording app. She made sure to keep the volume low and the call off speaker while she hoped Anna was at the front desk to answer the phone.

"So, let's get started, shall we?"

At the other end of the line, Anna remained quiet once she picked up the phone and heard Dr. Foster's voice. She promptly transferred the call to the lab, where a light began to blink on the phone. Ria's eyes darted instantly to the phone and she picked up the line, hearing Foster on the other end. She put the phone on speaker and placed her finger to her lips to urge everyone in the lab to stay quiet.

"Remember, we'll be recording this to do further vocal analysis later so just ignore the phone and focus on us."

Loker immediately got to work on setting up the recording equipment to record the call. Ria kept her eyes on Eli and he nodded when everything was ready to go.

"Can you tell us your name?" Gillian asked calmly.

"Jamie Flynn."

"Your real name, mate. We know it's not Jamie. What's your real name? If you don't tell us, we can just ask your brother here."

"Alejandro."

"When's your birthday?"

"Same as Jaime's. We're twins, but you can't tell that anymore.," he said with a meaningful look at his brother. "It's November 17th."

"Now tell us a lie, Alejandro."

"I'm comfortable and glad to be in my brother's presence."

"Good. Now we have what we call a baseline," Gillian explained. "The more you cooperate with us, the less this will drag out, Alejandro."

Alejandro nodded, his gaze flitting up to his brother.

"Focus on us, Alejandro, not Jaime. You just tell us the truth, understand?" Cal said while shifting in his chair to try and block the brothers off from each other.

Ria motioned to Loker to start doing some searches on twin brothers Jaime and Alejandro. All the while, Emily stood close by looking nervous and jittery, like she wanted to talk to her father but knew she couldn't.

Alejandro nodded again and looked back to the deception experts. They were his best chance of getting out alive and then getting far away from his brother.

"Good. Now, your brother says that you been lying to him for a while. Other than the fact that he's a sonuvabitch, why'd you change-" Cal was cut off by his sharp intake, then expulsion of breath in the form of a grunt at the sensation of the butt of a gun against his jaw.

At the lab, Emily started at the sound of Cal's pain, wringing her fingers in her hands and letting a soft "Dad" slip past her lips. Ria put a reassuring hand on the young Lightman's arm.

"Oi! I'm trying to conduct an interview 'ere, Chino!" Cal felt Gillian's warning hand on his forearm and he took a moment to calm himself before speaking again, but Chino beat him to the punch.

"Be more respectful, guero. We can't touch the lady, but you're free game, remember?"

Cal nodded impatiently. "Yeah, I remember." He brought a hand up to his jaw as he opened and closed his mouth to assess the damage. He winced and knew there'd be bruising; it felt like something could have been knocked out of place, but he was no medical doctor. "Okay, where was I?" Cal asked as he brushed his fingers over Gill's hand to let her know he was good to go on. "Ah, yes, why'd you get yourself a new face and name, Alejandro?"

"To get away. To escape all this bullshit," he answered hotly. Cal saw his swollen eyelids twitch. "Didn't work, obviously."

"Escape?" Gillian probed. "Why did you want to get out?" Her thumb moved slowly over Cal's phone screen so as not to attract attention. She was typing a message to Ria: _Abandoned shelter. 80-100 mile radius._ Send.

"It started to be too much for me. I wanted out. I wanted a family, so I left, got a new name, got the surgery, changed everything about me." Alejandro's eyes averted downward and his head bowed slightly before he looked back up, fury across his visage and in the aggressive forward thrust of his chin. "And this bastard-" he fell quiet when Ernesto put the barrel of his pistol to Alejandro's temple.

"That's not shady at all, nothin' to hide here, eh boys?" Cal asked, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. "You need something from 'im, so you're not gonna kill 'im. Put the gun away, Ernesto. We're not done yet."

Jaime nodded and Ernesto dropped the gun, but stayed behind Alejandro.

"Look," Cal began, looking back at Jaime, "you brought us here to get the truth. Let us do our job. You want this next bit off the record? We can do it off the record if that's what you want, man." He glanced at Gillian. "Turn it off, Gill."

"Cal-"

"Turn it off, Foster. Give it to the nice men. We'll get it back later, when we need it. Right?" he asked Jaime.

"Of course," was his reply.

Gillian sighed and obliged Cal, hoping that Torres and Loker got enough information out of this to get started on a rescue mission. She ended the call and handed the phone back to their captors.

"Now, we can't arrest you and without any proof, we can't take this to the cops. Tell us the truth, Alejandro. D'you think your brother killed your wife and child?"

"I know he did. How else would _my_ DNA have ended up on my family?" Alejandro's voice rose, his temper beginning to boil over again. "Because I didn't kill them. I _know_ it was him," he snarled through gritted teeth.

Cal looked over his shoulder and caught a flash of contempt and a glimmer of amusement in Jaime's eyes.

"I believe you."

"Where's it at, Ale? Where's the stuff?" Jaime jumped in.

"I don't know," Alejandro replied with a one-sided shrug.

"That's a lie. What is it we're talkin' about here?" inquired Cal.

"My brother stole from me and I want it to be returned. It's rightfully mine, y tu lo sabes, Ale." Jaime took a few steps closer to Alejandro, glaring menacingly down at him. "Tell me what you did with my stuff."

"This is about money?" Gillian asked indignantly. "You brought us here because of some monetary issue?"

"It's not just about the money, Dr. Foster. It's about my brother taking what doesn't belong to him," Jaime said with a sneer.

"You gonna tell us what it is?" Cal's question, however, was drowned out by Alejandro's cries of outrage.

"LIKE YOU TOOK THE LIVES OF MY FAMILY?! THEY DIDN'T BELONG TO _YOU_ , YOU SON OF A BITCH BASTARD! WELL GUESS WHAT, JAIME! I FUCKING SOLD IT, IT'S GONE, CABRON!" Alejandro's sentence was clipped off by the resounding blast of a gun and his words were replaced by screams of agony.

Gillian let out a yelp and Cal jumped from his chair to move in front of her ducked down form. Alejandro had been shot in the leg. "Hey! Hey! The hell's that gonna solve?! The man's angry, with every right to be!" Cal heard Gillian mutter his name as a word of caution.

"Chino, leave. Now," Jaime demanded. "Go!" he exclaimed when he saw his underling open his mouth to protest. "Dame la pistola, Chino. Ahora. Give me the gun," he repeated firmly. . Chino dropped his gun into Jaime's waiting hand. "You don't get this back till you know what 'don't shoot unless I tell you to' means."

Chino nodded dejectedly and exited the room as Jaime tucked the pistol into the waistband of his jeans. He gestured to the chair Cal had scrambled up from. "Please, take your seat, Dr. Lightman. Chino is very temperamental, he acts on his own accord sometimes. My apologies."

Cal hummed curtly and sat back down. Gillian peered over at Alejandro, her brows pulled together in concern. Alejandro was clutching his leg where the bullet seemed to have grazed his flesh through his pants. Blood oozed through the khaki material and trickled through his fingers.

"D'you have bandages? Something to stop the bleeding and something to ease the pain so we can continue? If not, it's pointless to go on now. All we'll be able to see is pain, agony," said Cal. "It's difficult enough as is with 'is mangled face, so if you want answers, you'll have to do something about the leg."

Jaime nodded. "I'll go grab some things." He shot a furtive glance at Ernesto, which meant for the subordinate to go with him. Ernesto obliged and followed Jaime out of the room, leaving Cal, Gillian, and Alejandro alone. Cal's tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his dry lips and he squinted at Alejandro.

"You all right, mate? Well, I mean, I know you just got shot an' all that, but y'know," his voice trailed off and he thought for a moment. "What is this thing that's so important and why'd you lie about sellin' it?" he inquired in a hushed tone.

Alejandro's head jerked upward at the accusation. "I-I did sell it."

"I'd 'ave believed you if not for the slightly shorter breath and the fluttering eyes there. You out to die or something? You're doin' a bloody well job of making your way there, Alejandro. Tell us what he wants so we can help you and ourselves."

Alejandro sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "A necklace our father gave to our mother when they married. It's a family heirloom, so to speak. I may have also taken a large sum of valuables from our family's safe," he added. "He'll kill me once he gets what he wants, might even kill you two as well," Alejandro said grimly. "I'm a traitor, Jaime couldn't care less what happens to me as long as he wins."

"Okay, and why'd you lie about killing your family earlier today?"

"I thought it could be a chance to finally get off my brother's radar, but then they took me to you. I loved my family, I didn't kill them. It was Jaime, but I figured I'd be better off in jail if I didn't have Isa and Mateo. I would've at least been away from my brother."

"We're going to get out of this, Alejandro," Gillian assured him. "All of us." There was a glint of determination in her blue eyes that always made Cal's chest swell with pride.

It was that moment when Jaime and Ernesto returned. "I think there has been enough excitement here for now, doctors. Ernesto will take you back to your room and we will continue this tomorrow in perhaps better spirits," Jaime said as Ernesto motioned for Cal and Gillian to stand.

The business partners were taken back to their small room and were left to their own devices once the door was closed, effectively shutting them off from anything and everything beyond the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** So, it's been a while and I apologize. This chapter has actually been in the works for a very long time. It's mostly Callian fluff and emotions because I can. Again, sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews always appreciated!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Eli finished the vocal-stress analysis on Jamie Flynn, a.k.a. Alejandro. He stood from his chair and headed to the break room, where Ria and Emily had gone after Foster hung up the phone at Lightman's command. _Damn him and his "I know best" demeanor,_ Eli thought as he stepped into the break room. Ria was having a cup of coffee while Emily sipped on a bottle of water, looking anxious. Eli felt a strong sense of sympathy for the younger woman; despite his faults, Lightman had always been a good father and it must have been hard for Emily to listen to the phone call earlier and to wonder where her dad was.

"Vocal-stress is done, if you wanted to take a look at it," he said to Ria before he looked at Emily. "How're you holding up, Em?" he asked tentatively as he saw the crease in her brow deepen.

"My Dad and Gill have been kidnapped, but aside from that everything's great," Emily replied sarcastically.

"Right," Eli said. "Let's go have a look at the call from earlier, Ria."

"This includes me too, right?" Emily said before her father's employees could get away.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea, Emily," Ria advised.

"You know I'm going with you anyway, so you might as well save energy on trying to convince me otherwise." Her wide eyes peered up at Loker, unrelenting.

"She's like a little Lightman," Eli said to his colleague.

"She _is_ a little Lightman," Ria responded with a smirk. "Alright, fine, you can come with us. But don't tell your dad, got it?"

Emily smiled at the two of them in triumph, proud of her newly acquired moniker. The group walked over to the lab and Eli pulled up the analysis on the large screen for all of them to see.

"So, Alejandro wasn't being deceptive throughout this phone call. Way pissed, but truthful. That's not exactly what we're concerned about, though. There's nothing to suggest traffic, so they must be in a secluded area. It sounds like they could be in a forested region because I think I picked up on some bird calls in the background. Not much to go off there, but Dr. Foster said they were 80-100 miles out, right?"

Ria nodded. "Yeah. Did you get anything on criminal twins?"

"Yeah, actually," Eli began as he sat down in front of a monitor with a photo of an older Latino gentleman pulled up. "Jaime and Alejandro belong to the Gutierrez family. Ring any bells?" He jabbed a thumb back toward the screen as he spun around to face Ria and Emily.

"As in Eliseo Gutierrez?"

Eli, Ria, and Emily exchanged looks as they all appeared to groan internally at the voice that just entered the room.

"They're Eliseo Gutierrez's sons?" Ria pressed on as Rader approached the trio, worry deep-set in his features. He did seem genuinely worried, the three of them had to give him that.

"The very same," Eli said. "Gutierrez Sr. was sentenced to death just last week, but Foster and Lightman had nothing to do with it. Unless they handled a high-profile case behind our backs."

"Dad didn't say anything to me," Emily said. "But then I'm not sure he would have. Are my dad and Gillian gonna be okay?" she asked quietly, looking to the two elders for reassurance.

Ria and Eli glanced at each other and the former moved to wrap an arm around Emily's shoulder. "Your dad is brilliant and so is Foster. They're the best team I've ever known. If anyone can get themselves out of a sticky situation, it's those two," she told the younger woman. Ria would be damned if she were to let Emily worry herself sick until they figured out exactly where her bosses were.

* * *

"Did you ever want your own practice, Gillian?" Cal asked from his side of the room as he stood to toss his Chinese take-out plate in the trash. Ernesto had been generous enough to get them lunch and even grab a few magazines for the captives. This was good; it meant that maybe Ernesto was starting to see them as more than just the boss' abductees.

"What?" She looked up at Cal with furrowed brows from over the _Time_ magazine she'd been reading leisurely on her bed.

"We're stuck with each other," Cal shrugged, "might as well talk, fill the silence and all that," he finished while walking slow circles around the room. He was restless and could never stay still for too long lest he risk death by boredom. Gillian found it endearing sometimes. "So, did you ever want your own practice?"

Gill closed her magazine and set it down beside her on the mattress. "It…crossed my mind. Why?"

Cal sat down on his own bed and leaned back on his hands. "I _begged_ you to come into business with me, Foster. Remember that?" He caught a slight upturn of her mouth. "Yeah, you do. And I just- well, I was-"

"You were wondering if you robbed me of a different life?" she finished his question with raised eyebrows.

Cal shrugged. "Not exactly how I was gonna put it, but yeah. I guess so."

"Cal, I would've said no if I didn't want to start the Group with you. And I would've left if I hadn't found the job fulfilling. You didn't take anything from me," she said with a genuine smile. "In fact, you've given me quite a lot."

"Yeah?" Cal nodded slowly, still ingesting her words and that smile of hers; perfect. Until something dawned on him. "Why'd I have to beg you to be my partner, then?" He gazed at Gillian with narrowed eyes and a quirked brow.

She smirked, blatantly. "Because it was fun to see Cal Lightman begging for my cooperation. It had never happened before, so I figured I could drag it out for as long as possible."

It was Cal's turn to smirk, his mock glare turning into amusement. "Oh, really? I didn't have to do all that, eh? Sending you flowers, takin' you to lunches and dinners. You woulda said yes anyway?"

"I suppose," she responded with a shrug and a sly smile.

"Made a right jealous mess of Zoe, I did."

"Zoe? Jealous? You don't say," Gillian drawled, sarcasm oozing from her very being. There had always been animosity between the two women for one reason: Cal.

"You sayin' Alec was never suspicious or anything?

"Alec was curious, I guess, but he knew I'd never cheat on him; especially not with the guy I went into business with. Good girl that I am."

"Even after," Cal's voice trailed off and he berated himself for even starting to bring it up at the sight of Gillian's misty eyes.

"Sophie?"

Cal nodded. "Yeah. Sophie."

"Even after Sophie. I was the one afraid he would cheat after Sophie. I mean, me, it's not like I was going to run off on the dream that another man would be able to give me what I wanted. It was on my end, after all, why we couldn't conceive." Gillian's voice was quiet and her eyes were downcast, shameful. "The first thing I thought when we found out was, 'what kind of woman does that make me?' I couldn't give Alec a fami-"

"Oi," Cal said, cutting her off. "Foster." He watched her eyes flit up to glance at him, but they went back down just as fast. "I need you to look at me, love. And listen to me, very carefully."

"Cal," she said softly. But she did lift her head up to do as he requested.

"Gill," he started as he crossed the room to sit down on the edge of her bed. "Your inability to have children," he trod carefully, "does not make you any less of a woman, any less of a human being. You're amazin', you are. While I know you're a terrific mum, that's not all you are. You're Dr. Gillian Foster. Gillian Foster—best psychologist I know. You're my business partner. You're my best friend. You're bloody brilliant." Cal placed a tentative hand over Gill's, hoping she wouldn't pull away or decide that he was overstepping their boundaries. "And stickin' by my side is an accomplishment itself, darlin'. You know that, right?" His eyes were soft as he watched tears fall from her eyes and run down her cheeks. Cal was relieved to see she was smiling, though.

"You're damn right it's an accomplishment, Cal Lightman." Gillian wiped away her tears with her free hand.

"I never fail to get us stuck in a rut, do I?" he asked, his lips curling upward. "I'm a catch, Gill, really. Ya lucked out, love."

Gillian chuckled through her tears, which soon came to a stop. "I did, didn't I?" She smiled fondly, a look of nostalgia passing across her face.

"What were you thinking of, Gill?"

"Just about going from working out of your kitchen to, well, now. People so desperate for us that they abduct us."

"Yeah, quite the celebrities we are. Remember the first day we stepped into the office?"

"Yes. You were grinning like an idiot. I daresay you were very excited to have a workplace that didn't also serve as your home."

Cal smiled at the memory, taking Gillian's legs and bending them at the knees so he could scoot up to the wall the bed was against. He crossed his own legs in front of him and put Gill's on top of them, resting his hands on her shins. "I was glad that Zoe wouldn't be goin' on about us working from the house anymore. And that we wouldn't have to stop work when Emily was 'round. She's probably worried sick, Em," Cal murmured.

Gillian ran her hand up and down as much of Cal's arm she could reach. "If she's anything like you, which she is, you know she's not standing idly by and letting herself fester in preoccupation."

"No need to use the big words on me, Foster. But, yeah, I suppose you're right. Which means it's my turn to worry about whatever she's gonna get herself into."

"She's a smart girl, Cal. Have faith in her not to get in too deep."

"She loves you, y'know," he stated suddenly. Gillian's eyebrows pulled together for a moment before she smiled. "You're, like, her second mum, Gill. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For bein' there. Dealing with me and, in turn, bein' a woman Emily could look up to, maybe model herself after a bit. You've been good for us, Gillian. You _are_ good for us." Cal gazed at Gillian, a pensive look about him as an unexpected thought popped into his head.

"What is it?" Gillian asked.

"Nah, it's nothin', love."

"Tell me." She poked his side and he retreated into himself with a grin to keep her from doing it again.

"You and Ben," he stated.

"What about me and Ben?"

Cal studied her in silence for a moment, noting her confusion. "I mean, you and Ben, did you ever, y'know," he left his question open ended and gave a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, hoping Gillian would get the gist. Cal had always wondered if his partner and the brusque FBI agent were ever _intimate_. They had a strong friendship, from what he could tell, that seemed to occasionally enter more romantic territory. He didn't want to admit the relief her felt when Gillian smiled, eyebrows up in an expression of incredulity.

"Ben and I were only ever _friends_ , Cal. He's a good man, but I dunno," she pondered with a shrug. "There were times when I thought he might be interested, but it was probably just a basic level of attraction. Nothing like you and Clara, right? Or you and Zoe, again. You and Wallowski. You and Poppy. You an-"

"Alright, okay, I get it, I am a huge prick," Cal said while holding his hands up in surrender. "Poppy was just for fun, though, there was absolutely no emotional founda-" he chanced a glance at her and instantly shut himself up. "Doesn't matter, it's over and done with." Cal couldn't help noticing the frown that passed over Gillian's mouth at his mention of Poppy. "You okay, darlin'?"

 _'By the way she walks, she's too good for anyone.'_

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gillian's head gave the slightest shake before nodding. Even she caught it and she gave a short sigh. "I just remembered something from Vegas, is all."

"Something that hurt you," Cal deduced. "Was it me? Was it me and Poppy?" He asked cautiously. "'Cause you told me to stay away from her and I didn't listen?" He wasn't picking anything up on Gillian, so he pressed on. "Tell me, love. I'm not lettin' this go, you know that. I'm stubborn as a mule."

Gillian shook her head, intentionally this time. "Something that Poppy said just stuck with me. It's not a big deal, Cal, it's nothing. I'm a big girl." She saw his mind working as he tried to recall all the words exchanged between Gillian and his one-night stand in Vegas. Something clicked.

"What? What she said, 'bout you bein' too good for anybody?" Cal watched Gill's mouth pull into a thin line and her blue eyes dart up to meet his gaze. "That was a load of rubbish, Gill. Complete and utter rubbish. At least, in the way she meant it. You _are_ too good for anyone, but not because you think yourself superior. You don't. You're too good 'cause you're way too intelligent for any bloke to handle, you're bloody gorgeous, you've got killer wit, I could go on for days, love."

Cal was aware he was pushing their boundaries; their line. But he couldn't bring himself to care about it now. "You need to know that, Gillian. You are too good in that you care so much, in that you're so genuine, in that you're an awful liar." He smirked as she pushed lightly at his shoulder.

"You can cut it out with the charm, Cal. You don't have to say these things. It's not like I'm your wife or anything," Gillian said, still smirking.

"No, I do. I mean, I _should_ say these things. More often, y'know. 'Cause you're the best friend I have in the world, Gillian. I should tell you you're beautiful and intelligent and charming and funny. You should expect that stuff from me, darlin', but I'm a bloody wanker and don't say any of it enough." Cal was peering over at Gillian with intense eyes, as if trying to see into the very core of her.

It still irked her, even after so many years. Cal still had a way of tapping into her without making her say the things she didn't want to. It was oddly comforting while also a little disconcerting how strong their friendship had become; how much she had come to rely on Cal being there. In moments like these, Gillian couldn't help but wonder if she would be better or worse off never having known the man sitting with her.

"Thank you, Cal. You're not so bad either," she said with a smirk tugging the left side of her mouth upward.

"Oh, yeah?" Cal asked with a lopsided grin and Gill nodded. "Well, thank you, Gill, you've given me just the ego boost I needed."

"I've made a grave mistake, in that case," Gillian said with a bemused quirk of her brow.

"Have you?" Cal replied, teasing. "'Cause I think I work best when I'm feeling good about myself." He smiled as he watched Gillian laugh softly.

"Of course you do," she said fondly.

Cal could sit and talk with Gillian for the rest of the evening about anything, everything, but they had a plan to come up with. They needed to get out of this mess before things went south. Eh, they could chat for a little while longer.


End file.
